Sixth man Nick Perkins poured in a career-high 27 points, and No. 25 Buffalo stretched its winning streak to five games by defeating visiting Kent State 80-57 on Friday.

Perkins, whose previous career best was 26 points, added six rebounds and three steals. CJ Massinburg had 18 points, five rebounds and five steals as Buffalo stretched its home winning streak to 24 games. Jeremy Harris added 12 points.

The Bulls (24-3, 12-2 Mid-American Conference) took sole possession of first place in the MAC East Division as Bowling Green lost at Ohio on Friday.

The Golden Flashes (19-8, 8-6) were led by Antonio Williams' 17 points. Anthony Roberts contributed 13 points off the bench, and Jaylin Walker added 12.

The Bulls shot 43.7 percent from the field despite making just 4 of 26 3-point tries. They limited Kent State to 40.4 percent shooting and forced 24 turnovers, a season high for the Golden Flashes.

Buffalo trailed by two points with less than two minutes remaining in the first half. Perkins then scored eight points in a 10-0 outburst that gave the Bulls a 35-27 halftime lead. Jayvon Graves scored the other two points on a put-back after a Kent State turnover.

Perkins finished the half with 16 points. Both sides shot 44 percent from the field before the break, but the Golden Flashes were guilty of 11 turnovers.

Graves hit a 3-pointer in the first two minutes of the second half to give Buffalo a double-digit advantage at 40-29. Harris' tip-in 4 1/2 minutes into the half pushed the lead to 47-31.

The Bulls' lead then fluctuated between 14 and 19 points until Graves made two free throws with 3:47 left to give Buffalo a 20-point advantage. Perkins reached his career high on a layup with 2:24 remaining.

Kent State gave Buffalo a much tough battle in their first meeting on Jan. 25. The Golden Flashes trailed by just three points in the late going before falling at home, 88-79.

--Field Level Media